


The Break In

by thekeekster



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 17:35:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6088459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeekster/pseuds/thekeekster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nora notices something amiss and hear’s a noise coming from Cullen’s tower. She goes to investigate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Noise

**Author's Note:**

> This was my very first attempt at Dragon Age fanfic, so please bear that in mind when you read this, haha.

Nora sat at her desk, head down, rubbing circles on her temples with her fingers, trying to quell the headache brewing from lack of sleep. Most of Skyhold’s habitants were gone temporarily, attending the ceremonies in Val Royeaux and the castle was silent. All who were left in the castle were workers and a minimal guard, who were long since sleeping. So used to the usual hustle and bustle of people and the constant work being done, the silence was unsettling and made it difficult for the Inquisitor to settle down for a night’s rest. Nora had sent Josie in her place as ambassador for the Inquisition hoping to have some time to relax, but the castle’s empty silence seemed to have done the opposite.

Placing both of her hands down onto the cool mahogany of the desk she pushed herself to stand, looking out the window and into the night as she did. It was just past midnight and beautiful outside, the full moon shining brightly along the battlements. Pushing her chair out, she strode out onto the balcony and inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp fall air filling her lungs. She leaned over, placing both forearms on the balcony edge. Feeling the cool stone against her skin she closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the sounds and smells of the evening. The leaves on the ground rustling in the breeze, the smell of this morning’s rainfall still present on the ground and the crisp air that promised winter sooner rather than later.

A sudden clatter shook her from her thoughts, and her eyes snapped open. The sound seemingly came from the Western tower, where Commander Rutherford’s office and quarters were. The Commander always locked his office when he was not there and he was currently with the bulk of Skyhold’s troops in Val Royeaux, so Nora found it odd that the noise should be coming from the there. All was quiet again for a few minutes and just as she was about to head back inside she heard it again. This time she squinted her eyes towards the tower, and saw a faint bobbing glow coming from the Commander’s office window. Had one of the kitchen hands broken into Cullen’s office? It was no secret that he kept several bottles of Fereldan brandy tucked away in there, so Nora would not be surprised if someone took advantage of the his to break in absence to sample some (Maker knows she missed the brandy her parents kept back home in Ostwick). Nora had always been fond of Cullen every since the moment she first laid eyes on him and had often thought of asking him to share a glass or two with her in the evenings, but had never worked up the courage.

Her thoughts wondered to their first meeting in the Frostback Mountains, just outside of Haven. Cassandra, herself and Varric had stumbled onto the Commander and his brigade as they were fighting off a horde of demons that had emerged from a rift. She remembered the exact moment she saw him for the first time and sighed deeply. Cullen was clearly a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield and he fought hard and bravely, right in the thick of it with his troops. Many other leaders would command from afar, but not him. It was part of the reason she respected him so much, she supposed. When she mentioned that to him he simply replied with “how can I expect my men to be willing to do something that I myself would not?”. He swung his sword with a ferocity and accuracy that could not be matched by any Nora had seen before, his amber eyes blazing in the sun as he plotted his next swing. She knew then, right at that moment that she would have a hard time getting him out of her thoughts. The way he glared down his enemies as he swung and cried out in triumph sent shivers down her spine. Cullen was in his prime on the battlefield that much she was sure of, and she found herself wondering if he was as confident in other situations.

Another clatter, louder and more forceful this time, once again shook her from her thoughts. She scanned the courtyard, seeing no one. As most of the troops were in Val Royeaux, no one else was witnessing the potential break-in to the Commander’s office. Sighing heavily she strolled back into her chamber, slipped into her coat and started down the steps to the main hall.

She moved swiftly through the courtyard, looking up to the tower every few seconds to watch for any movement from the potential intruder. By this point they had actually lit the candle on the windowsill, how brazen! Skyhold may be almost empty this time of year, but to break into the Commander’s office AND light the candle in his window? They were either careless and inexperienced or not worried about who may see them.

Nora crept up the stone staircase, treading softly as to not alert whoever was trespassing in the office. She steadied herself and gently pressed her ear to the wooden door to Cullen’s office. There was indeed someone in there, and she could hear them now opening up his desk drawer and shuffling through papers. Amillia’s heart started to race as thoughts popped into her head; what if this was an agent or spy of some sort? Taking advantage of Skyhold’s emptiness to steal maps, plans, battle orders etc? Taking a deep breath she grabbed the doorknob with her left hand, swung open the office door and hurled herself inside to face her foe.


	2. The Break In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place Shortly after getting to Skyhold and Nora being named Inquisitor. Nora thinks someone is breaking into Cullen’s office, and goes to investigate.

 It all happened so fast. No sooner had she thrown open the door to Cullen’s office did her opponent take a swing at her, obviously having heard her coming. She quickly darted sideways to avoid the blow, feeling a rush of air against her cheek as a large fist blew past. This caused the large woolly hood from her cloak to billow to the side and allow her a brief glimpse of her attacker in the dimly lit office; a fairly large man of sturdy build, significantly taller than she was. She was unable to see his face, but saw enough of him to realize that she would not be able to overpower him.  

Nora made a split second decision to throw her hands forward into his chest, hoping to make him lose his footing or falter enough that she could strike with a spell.  She braced both hands together one on top of the other, and shoved as hard as she could. Her hands met his chest with a thud, causing him to falter slightly but not nearly as much as she had hoped. Almost instantly he took both of her forearms in his hands _–maker he was quick-_ hooked his booted foot under her knee and swiftly pulled forward, causing her to falter backwards, slamming into the desk, causing papers to fly everywhere,  and onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her. As she struggled to catch her breath – _Do I smell smoke?-_  he strode towards the desk and with an exasperated grunt he grabbed the letter opener that was on top of the littered reports.  He turned to face her again, his face briefly illuminated by a lit candle as he bore down towards her, and it was at that very second that she realized just how terrible of a mistake she had made.

 Cullen was prowling towards her with the letter opener in his hand, amber eyes fixed on his downed opponent with a predatory gaze. She had attacked Cullen in his own office.  Maker, how did she get herself into these situations? _Why is he even here?!_ She thought to herself frantically, he was supposed to be in Val Royeaux with the rest of the troops. However she had no time to think about that right now. She scrambled backwards and opened her mouth to speak, but only a strangled gasp came out, as she was still trying to catch her breath from being knocked on the ground. Then it hit her; she was still wearing that blasted hooded cloak (which was completely hiding her face) and he didn’t realize it was her who had broken in, not some wayward assassin. She reached up to pull down her hood and reveal her face but it was too late. In one swift movement Cullen had grabbed her cloak’s collar and yanked her upwards, bringing her face mere inches from his, letter opener pressed to her throat.

“You have exactly three seconds to tell me who-“  He squints at her in the dim glow of his office and a look of confusion washes over his face. Swiftly he dropped the letter opener and pulled back Nora’s hood, exposing the sheepish and apologetic expression on her face, as well as the crimson mess of her hair that has all but come undone in their scuffle. His golden eyes widened with recognition when he saw her face, realizing that he had just thrown the inquisitor onto the floor and had a letter opener to her throat.

          “Inquisitor! I- Maker, I had no idea it was you, forgive me!” He stammered, his once forceful hands suddenly becoming gentle as he helped her up off of the floor and placing her into the chair behind his desk. Nora had often lain awake late at night, wondering what it would like to be held in the Commander’s arms, but this was not what she had in mind. She allowed Cullen to ease her into the chair but once she sat there, she realized how ridiculous she must look. Flustered, she stood up quickly and intended to walk to the door and stammer out an apology, but instead felt herself wavering, still unsteady and short of breath. In an instant Cullen grabbed her hand and put an arm around her, leading her gently back into his chair.   
  
 “Inquisitor I think you may need to sit for a few minutes. I am so sorry, are you alright?” His face was full of concern, and then suddenly panic and worry. “Maker, did I hurt you? Stay right there, I’ll get a healer”

Get a healer? The embarrassing scenario ran through her mind: _“Ah, yes, you see, I broke into the Commander’s office because I thought someone may be stealing his expensive brandy. What was that? Why didn’t I alert the guards? Well I didn’t think it wise at the time”._ There was no way this was happening.

He started to turn towards the door and she quickly grasped his hand, pulling him back towards her.   
  
“No!” She exclaimed desperately. “Please don’t” she said, more calmly this time.

  
He stopped in his tracks, frozen, holding her hand and gazed back at her, his expression a combination of confusion and concern. 

“Alright,” He said cautiously, “Maker, Inquisitor, what were you doing?”

“Cullen I’m so sorry, I-“ She sighed. “It’s foolish I know, and I shouldn’t have… Ugh”. Here she was, in alone in Cullen’s office with him (she had fantasized about this many times, although certainly not in this particular situation) stammering like a fool, while he was surely thinking her one. Suddenly she was aware that she still had a firm grip on his hand and pulled her own back. “Wait, why are you even here?” She questioned. _Oh Maker_ , she thought, _It sounds like I’m interrogating him and I’m the one who just broke into his office!_ “I mean, I thought you were in Val Royeaux with the rest of the troops.” She added quickly, clarifying.

“I was, but I came back early, I arrived this evening.  I, ah-“. One hand reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn’t feeling particularly well.”

“Oh” she said sheepishly. She could feel her face flush, and was sure that her cheeks had become a deep shade of scarlet in her embarrassment. It was at this point that Nora noticed the beaded sweat on Cullen’s brow, and the bags under his eyes. She had only ever seen him in his armour, lion’s mane surcoat and silver pauldrons that she swore he must have polished daily. Even when she saw him in the tavern, he was always so polished and put-together. Tonight however, was a different story. His usually perfectly tousled hair was askew and dishevelled, and he looked exhausted. Even so, he was still endearing. Instead of the armour and surcoat he was wearing a loose tan-coloured tunic with… scorch marks in the center of it? _Oh you have GOT to be kidding me_ , she thought, _When I shoved him I must have burned him with my hands and not even realized I was casting. This may just be the most embarrassing night of my life,_ she thought.  
  
“Cullen!” She gasped, eyes wide. “Did I burn you? I’m so sorry! I can’t believe how stupid-“

“What?” He tilted his head in confusion, then looked down when he realized she was looking at the newly-formed blackened hole in the front of his shirt. “Oh! No! I mean yes, you did burn my shirt, but I’m fine, really. That’s not to say your magic isn’t proficient, I just, ah-“. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m fine.  Inquisitor please, just tell me what is going on” His voice was full of concern and tentative curiosity, but not mocking.

  
“Alright” she agreed, face down, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. “But you have to promise not to make fun of me, or breathe a word of this to ANYONE. If Varric gets wind of this he’ll never let me live it down.”

Cullen relaxed a bit, resting one leg up onto the corner of his desk so he was half sitting- half standing, and crossed his arms across his chest. His expression was one of soft concern mixed with curiosity. “Alright Inquisitor, just-“

“Cullen, how many times do I have to say, just call me Nora. We aren’t in the War Room and after everything we have been through I think we are on a first-name basis.”

A relaxed smile. “Alright then. Nora, tell me what happened.”

Nora sighed and started her tale, fidgeting with her fingers and the laces of her cloak in her lap while she did so.  When she finished, she looked up at Cullen to find a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“So” He said tentatively. “You thought you heard someone in my office, and thought someone may be… stealing my brandy” another smirk creeping, “And instead of alerting a guard, you decided to come alone… Unarmed into my office to face whoever was in here?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly his expression turned serious, his eyes stern and brow furrowing. “Nora that was incredibly careless”

Startled by his abrupt mood changed, Nora got up out of the chair and started for the door. “I know, I shouldn’t have done it, I’m sorry.  It won’t happen again. I should let you get back to-”.

Before she reached the door she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Cullen, hand on her shoulder and his other arm reaching out to her, softly grasping her forearm. “Inquisitor I didn’t mean- Nora. I didn’t mean to sound- Ugh”. He looked down at his feet, closed his eyes, took a breath and looked back at her with regained composure, and much softer expression. “I appreciate your concern, I only worry for your safety.  You could have been hurt. I couldn’t bear-. After Haven…” He looked away briefly before moving his hand down from her forearm to her wrist. His amber coloured eyes locked onto hers as he said “I want you to be careful, is all. I don’t want to lose…. I don’t want the Inquisition to lose you”.

Her heart skipped a beat. _Did he just say..? No, that couldn’t be what he meant_. She looked back at him and smiled “Thank you Cullen, I appreciate it. I mean that.” She paused, then said “I should be going, it’s late and you said you weren’t feeling well.”

“Ah, yes, it is late…”

He still had her wrist in his hand. “Cullen?”

“Mmm?”

“My hand….”

“Oh! Maker, I’m sorry, I- Ah. Goodnight, Inquisitor“.  He fetched his hand back and it immediately went behind his neck, rubbing just below his hairline.

“Nora.” She said with a smile.

A soft chuckle. “Yes, my apologies. Goodnight, Nora” He put emphasis on her name, and smiled when he said it, the scar on his lip tugging up just so when he did.

Nora smiled back at him, “Goodnight Cullen”. And with that she turned the doorknob and left his office, starting along the battlements. Before she reached the steps however, she heard the door open again behind her and turned to see Cullen walking towards her, a nervous expression on his face.

“Cullen?” She prompted, half smiling.

“I was thinking, Inquis- Nora. The bulk of the troops won’t be back from the ceremonies for another few days so the sparring grounds would be clear… Ah, nevermind. It was silly of me. Have a good night.”

“Cullen” she said questioningly, “What is it?”

“I just thought that maybe I could give you some sparring lessons. So that if you’re ever in a situation where you are…” He trailed off with a sheepish expression.

“If I’m ever breaking into my Commander’s office to take on a would-be brandy thief?” She retorted with a chuckle.

With that he laughed, and a huge grin broke out across his face and Nora couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was in that very moment. He was a looker to begin with, but that smile…

“I would love some lessons, shall we say tomorrow morning? Or we can do it another time, if you still aren’t feeling well”

He looked a bit taken aback, perhaps by the fact that she had said yes? “No” he replied eagerly, “tomorrow morning will be fine. I ah, look forward to it.”

She smiled shyly back at him, “As do I. Goodnight Cullen”

“Goodnight”.

The night turned out to be not so bad after all.


	3. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora meets Cullen in the empty sparring ring for a lesson in combat, which gets heated. They are interrupted by an Inquisition scout, letting them know that the Inquisition’s forces were back early and approaching the gate.

Nora was stretched out on her bed, still not dressed, lazily enjoying the slowly rising sun through the open window of her bedchambers. Normally she would be displeased with waking at such an early hour, but today that was not the case.

Cullen had offered to give her combat lessons this morning since the sparring ring was going to be empty, and she was looking forward to it, probably more than she should be. She couldn’t help it; Ever since she had witnessed him fighting rift demons outside of Haven she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. It was foolish really and she knew that, but it didn’t stop her from thinking about him.

A few times Nora had asked Cullen about himself and about his previous life as a Templar trying to get to know him better, but those conversations usually ended with him awkwardly changing the subject, or suddenly remembering some report he had to read. She assumed this was him being disinterested but every now and then he would throw her another signal that said otherwise; The look he gave her when she stayed in Haven to fight Corypheus and the relief on his face when she emerged from the snow afterwards, glances across the war table when he thought she wasn’t looking, their recent game of chess and offering to give her a private lesson on combat when it would have been just as easy (if not easier) to get someone else to do it. Maybe she was reading too much into it, maybe she wasn’t, but she certainly wasn’t going to turn his offer down. 

 

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she stretched her arms over her head, bracing herself to get out of bed for the day. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she got up and started to get ready. Instead of her regular braided bun she opted for a simpler ponytail, since she was probably going to mess it up anyway in the ring. She got dressed, opting for a sleeveless tunic instead of her usual formal top, grabbed her staff and headed down the stairs out of her chambers.

As she made her way through Skyhold’s main hall and out onto the stone stairway leading down to the courtyard, she looked down into the courtyard and saw that Cullen was already there. His back was to her and he had one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other resting lazily on one of the fence posts surrounding the ring. A gust of wind across the courtyard caused him to turn his face slightly, revealing his profile to her, bearing that ever-serious expression on his face. His expression changed however, from the face of a stern Commander to a look of warm fondness when a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, him having turned to see her walking down the steps toward him. She couldn’t help but smile back at him and her heart skipped a beat when his smile turned into a wide grin, golden eyes squinting back at her with his smile.

 

“Good morning Inquis- Nora.”

“Cullen.” She nodded with a smile.  “How are you feeling?”

“Ah, much better, thank you. Shall we begin?” He turned to the side and gestured her towards the center of the ring.

“Oh! Of course, down to business.” She brought her staff out of its bracing across her back and suddenly felt foolish for bringing it. “Erm… I guess I should have left this behind since we won’t be using it. Habit, I guess”

“No matter. Just set it aside.” He un-tethered his own sword from his belt, leaning it against the wooden fence and strolled into the center of the ring, turning to face her. He brought his arms up, leaned forward slightly and gestured with his hands to come towards him. “Alright. Come at me like you are going to attack”

Nora shuffled her feet clumsily and brought her shaking fists up, feeling ridiculous as she did so. Cullen’s face was filled with an expression of confusion and amusement, making her feel even more self conscious.

“Nora… Have you never done any hand-to-hand combat training at all? Ever?”

“Ah”. She dropped her fists down and fidgeted with her hands, face down looking at her feet. “No I- I haven’t. I suppose I should have mentioned that. I just thought-“ She sighed, and turned towards the fence to grab her staff and leave. “I shouldn’t waste your time. I don’t even know the basics and you have far more important-“

“No! It’s no trouble really; I just thought you would have had some basic combat training at the Ostwick Circle. Did they really teach you nothing?”

Nora’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. “Nothing?! I hardly call being able to summon a ball of fire in my hand nothing, Cullen!”

Cullen’s eyes went wide as he realized that she took what he said as an insult. “Oh! I didn’t mean they taught you NOTHING. You are obviously a very skilled mage, I just meant-“ His arm shot up behind his head and started to rub the back of his neck as he looked at her nervously. He took a deep breath and sighed, bringing himself back to composure. “I meant no offense, Nora. You’re very good at what you do, I just assumed that you would have been given basic combat training as well- On top of your magical studies. If I made you feel inadequate I apologize, it was not my intention and you are anything but.” He blushed as he said this and Nora couldn’t help but feel guilty for losing her temper so quickly.

“It’s alright, Cullen. I shouldn’t be so sensitive anyways.”

“No, It was my fault, I should be more careful with my words.” He looked at her when he said this, brows furrowed in an apologetic plea. “The last thing I would want to do is hurt you Nora, you’re far too important to m- to the Inquisition. We need a strong leader, and you have proven to be such. You have no reason to feel anything short of that. You are an amazing woman and I… Ahem” He cleared his throat and his face turned as scarlet as his surcoat, clearly embarrassed.

Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. _Did he just say she was important to him?_ “I-… Thank you, Cullen. It means a lot to hear that, especially from you.”

“I- Truly? Well… I’m glad to hear it” His face was still a deep shade of red, but his face was more relaxed and he was smiling again. “Now-“ He said as he walked towards her “If you still want a lesson, It would be my pleasure.”

Nora replied with a smile; “Yes! Lets.”

Cullen beamed back at her and her heart fluttered in her chest. “Alright lady Trevelyan, let us start with the basics. Your stance is…” He trailed off, clearly searching for the right words. Given the fact that she had snapped at him only moments before, Nora couldn’t fault him for being cautious with his words.

“Atrocious?” She offered with a chuckle.

A close-lipped smirk tugged at the corner of Cullen’s lips. “Well… I wouldn’t say ATROCIOUS… But, it isn’t going to do you any good. You’re leaving yourself vulnerable to attack from all angles.” He studied her, deep in thought and added; “Your feet are too close together, they should be hip-width apart. And your arms are too slack, bring them up- No not like that, now they’re too tense- Ah.”

He moved to close the gap between them and stopped short suddenly, realizing he hadn’t asked her permission. “May I?” He inquired, gesturing behind her.

A look of confusion was washed across Nora’s face. “May you what?”

“Ah… Your stance is wrong, I was going to show you how to fix it. But I can try to explain it to you again if you’re more comfortable with-“

“Oh! No it’s fine. It’s probably easier if you just show me.” She threw him a nervous smile and shrugged; “I don’t seem to be following instructions very well.” She smiled and relaxed her stance, gesturing him to come towards her.

Cullen walked quickly around her left side, and then directly behind her. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders and she immediately tensed at the feel of his touch. He took them away and his voice was full of concern when he spoke.

“Is something wrong?”

A nervous laugh escaped her lips “No, you just surprised me is all. Continue, please.” She relaxed then, and he placed his hands back on her shoulders, squeezing ever so gently. Even through the leather of his gloves, she could feel the warmth of his hands on her bare shoulders.

He cleared his throat, “Ok, relax your shoulders a bit- that’s right. Now roll them back just a tad- Perfect.” With one fluid motion he slid his hands from her shoulders down to her elbows, bringing himself closer to her back as he did so. Tenderly grasping her elbows he lifted them up slowly, and gently positioned them further out from her body. Cullen then slid his hands up her forearms, angling them up slightly to put her in the proper stance. In doing so he had completely closed the gap between them, his chest pressed firmly against her back and his arms wrapped around hers.

He started to speak then, softly, and his breath was hot against her ear; “Now, Nora, I want you bring your arms up just a touch” She followed his instruction and lifted her arms ever so slightly. His warm breath was once again caressing her skin when he exhaled softly; “Yes, just like that. Perfect.” She was suddenly very aware of her pulse, and her heart was pounding in her chest. She felt his hands slide over hers, and his leathered fingers closed over her own. His cheek pressed against hers, his rough stubble a tickle in contrast to her smooth skin. She felt his lips now - _Maker was this really happening?-_ gently brushing her ear as he whispered softly to her; “Now you just need to make a fist”- His hands enveloped her fingers, squeezing them together- “There.” He exhaled slowly, and she could feel his heart pounding against her back, almost in rhythm with her own.

He released her hands and slowly trailed his own down her forearms, softly caressing the skin of her arm with his gloved fingers as he did so. He brought his hands back up to her shoulders, keeping his chest pressed against her back and his cheek against hers. The thumb of his left hand started making lazy yet deliberate circles against her shoulder blade, as his right hand trailed their fingers slowly down her side and resting just above her hip. She took a deep breath and allowed her head to roll back ever so slightly, enjoying the feeling of the fur mantle from his lion’s mane surcoat against her neck and her cheek now leaning completely against his, enjoying the contrast between his scruff and her skin. She arched her back into him slightly and he exhaled briefly- _Was that a chuckle?-_ and his breath was once again warming her skin; “Keep your form Nora, I’ll not have you leave this lesson without having learned something.” She smirked and corrected her posture, all the while Cullen kept himself pressed against her back, his breathing a bit ragged now, right hand gripping her side firmly. His hand slid down to rest on her hip, fingers digging into her tunic as he did so. She closed her eyes and her hips pushed back into him softly -an involuntary action- and she felt his breath hitch as she did. She could feel the hilt of his sword pressing into her back _-No, his sword is leaned up against the fencepost_ ; she thought to herself; _so what was…Oh Fuck.-_ His grip tightened on her hip, fingers digging further into the fabric of her tunic and he exhaled slowly, his breath dancing across her neck.   _Sweet Maker I can’t believe it. This is torture, the best kind._

She still had her hands up, balled into fists in a fighting stance. She wanted to touch him, feel him in her hands, so she let her arms slack off and started to lower them down to her sides. Suddenly both of his hands slid deftly back up to her wrists and grabbed them. Gently enough not to hurt her, but with enough force that commanded obedience. She felt his lips curve back into a smirk against her cheek as he breathed; “Keep your form, remember? Arms up.“- His voice was husky and deep, breath wavering, not bothering to hide his arousal at this point.

She did as he bode, bringing her arms back up and balling her fists into their previous state. He trailed both of his hands down her sides this time, the fingers of one hand lingering ever so gently along the swell of her breast before gliding it down to her hipbone, causing her to shudder against him slightly. Both of his hands were gripping her hips now holding her in place-not that she wanted to go anywhere- and once again his lips parted for him to speak, the warm air of his breath spilling over her skin.

“I want you to move your right leg forward just in the slightest, and angle your body towards the tavern, just over there.” As he did this, his chin gestured towards The Herald’s Rest and the shadow of his beard grated against her jaw line, causing a shallow gasp to escape from her lips. Her breath was shallow and ragged, chest heaving up and down with quiet desperation. _Maker. If he keeps this up I’m going to come undone in the middle of the sparring ring._

“Cullen” She was almost breathless, and barely able to get his name out.

“Mmm?” His hands now directed her hips and angled them towards the Tavern as he had instructed her to do just seconds before. He moved his own hips with hers, causing his hardened length to again press into her back and stir the heat building in her core.

She bit her bottom lip and tried to speak, but only a gasp escaped her lips. She inhaled deeply and enjoyed the scent of his presence filling her nostrils; a sweet and musky essence; _Elfroot and… was that cinnamon?_ She couldn’t take it anymore. She dropped her hands down and wrapped her fingers around his hands tightly, forcing him against her even harder.

He gasped, his lips hot and parted against her neck. “Maker’s breath Nora…” He tightened his fingers around hers, moving their hands together upwards against her stomach when a scout’s voice suddenly rang out from the steps to the battlements.

“Commander! Ser!”

Cullen immediately removed his hands from her hips, not realizing they had an audience; and growled back at the scout. “Now is not a good time!”

“I can see you are… Uh, indisposed Ser, but I thought you should know that the Inquisition’s forces are approaching the gate. It appears they are back sooner than planned.”

_You’ve got to be kidding._

An exasperated grunt escaped Cullen as he pulled himself away from her ever so slightly, much to her dismay. He scowled back at the scout, ushering him away with a curt wave of his hand; “Alright. Thank you. I’ll be in my office in a moment.”

Nora turned her body around to face him and looked up at his face, her breathing back to normal but her face still a bit flushed. “I guess I better be going… I’m sure you have things to attend to now that the troops are back, and I’m sure Josie will want to tell me all about Val Royeaux.” An awkward smile splayed across her face as she struggled to fully regain composure.

Cullen’s face was a scarlet red colour as he stumbled for words; “Ah yes…I ah… Suppose I should be going as well… Have to brief the troops and get back to work.” _Not twenty seconds ago he was confident as ever; groping me in broad daylight and telling me what to do, and now he stammering and struggling to speak to me_. “Good day” And with that he turned on his heel and prowled towards the battlements, hoping to have a few minutes in his office to regain his composure before having to speak with anyone.

Nora’s eyes darted to Cullen’s sword, still leaning against the fence post of the sparring ring and picked it up, quickly calling out to him.

“Cullen!”

He turned to face her; “Yes, Nora?”

A small giggle escaped her lips before she could suppress it, and held his sword out. “Your sword?”

“Ah.” He strolled towards her and grasped the hilt of the sword when she handed it to him. Their fingers touched briefly when he did so, and his lingered over hers for just a second before a smirk crept to his lips; “Thank you, Nora.”

With that she grabbed her staff they went their separate ways; Cullen to his office and Nora back into her chambers to right herself before greeting everyone. Once in her chambers she collapsed onto her bed, grinning like a fool all the while. She had mere moments before the main hall of Skyhold would be teeming with people demanding to meet with her, but she allowed herself this brief luxury before facing them.

_This was going to be a good day._


End file.
